Mangalore is known by the name 'Kudla' by the Tulu-speaking community which means 'junction' translated to English as the city is situated at the confluence of the two rivers - Nethravathi and Phalguni. There is a Kudla in Australia as well!

South Australia is one of the six Australian States as the name suggests south of Australia. The city of Adelaide is its capital. Kudla is a locality in northern Adelaide, 34 km from the city centre, just south of Gawler. It is served by the Kudla Railway Station on the Gawler Railway Line and is west of Main North Road. Gawler Central Line (the rail route in Adelaide, South Australia) runs from the Adelaide Railway Station north to the town of Gawler on the outer fringe of the city. It is the longest of the Adelaide suburban railway lines.

Kudla Railway Station is a Station on the Gawler Railway Line in Adelaide, South Australia in the locality of Kudla. The Kudla Railway Station is immediately north of where the line crosses Dalkeith Road. The station was originally opened in 1959, possibly with a 'step down' platform but the current platform had been constructed by 1961. By c.1987, the current platform shelter had been installed.

Gawler is reputedly the first country town in the state of South Australia and is named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is located 40 km (25 miles) north of Adelaide and is close to the major wine producing district of the Barossa Valley. Topographically, Gawler lies at the confluence of two tributaries of the Gawler River, the North and South Para rivers, where they emerge from a range of low hills.

On Sunday March 16, 2008, it was revealed in the 'Sunday Mail,' that express services on the Gawler Line will be drastically cut and fewer services will service the once key stations of Greenfields and Dry Creek.

Apart from this Kudla in the State of South Australia, there is a 'Kuddila Street' in the suburbs of Rochedales and Engadine in the State of Queensland and New South Wales respectively.

Similarities and Differences between the two 'Kudlas'

Both the Adelaide Railway Station (Australia) where Kudla Railway Station is located and our Mangalore (Kudla) Railway Station (India) are "dead end" stations.

All lines in the Adelaide Railway Station approach the station from the west but I am not so sure about the Mangalore Railway Station. Readers could throw light on this. Which direction is the dead end of the Mangalore Railway Station facing or which side are belfries of the nearby Milagres Church facing? - this would provide the answer of whether there is a similarity or otherwise? My vague recollection of my younger days of attending the Sunday morning English mass at Milagres Church entering from the side gate (near the Grotto) from the Cross Road, I can more or less remember the sun was right behind me. If this theory holds good, the dead end of the Mangalore Railway Station is facing the north and the trains approach the Station from the south, of course from places that are located to the south of Mangalore.

Adelaide Railway Station has nine platforms all with broad gauge track. In the Mangalore Railway Station on the other hand, there are eight I reckon (including one track as standby for goods and one wash yard track).

Topographically, Gawler lies at the confluence of two tributaries of the Gawler River, the North and South Para rivers, where they emerge from a range of low hills. Mangalore is known as Kudla (junction) because the city is situated at the confluence of the two rivers - Nethravathi and Phalguni.

So the million dollar question is, has the Kudla of Australia been named after Kudla of India? Any answers?

The answer probably lies in a visit to the locality/settlement of 'Kudla' in the state of South Australia, speaking to long time residents or family-businesses that have passed on to a few generations. Don't be surprised if at least one out there would blurter out saying - “Well! my great-grand father I am told visited a town on the west-coast of India, lived there for some time, embraced its unique culture and when he returned called this place 'Kudla' …and it has been known thus ever since.” Any takers?

Goa

Whenever we talk about our home-town Mangalore, we are instantly reminded of the other side of the same coin Goa. India's smallest State in terms of area and the fourth smallest in terms of population, Goans along with the Anglo-Indians, East Indians and the Mangaloreans are distinct communities here who have found little difficulty in adapting to the local culture.

As we know, the precise origin of the name 'Goa' is unclear, though the broad view is that the name 'Goa' is said to have derived from the Konkani word 'Goyan' which means 'a patch of tall grass.' As the place/street/road naming in Australia goes it looks to be, 'Goa' one of the most developed states in India that enjoys a high standard of living looks to be named just after one property in the form of 'Goa Court' in the north-western suburb of Keilor Downs in the Sydenham Railway Line in the State of Victoria. The beautiful Court consisting of nine residential houses is just adjacent the Sunshine Avenue springing out of Boston Crescent and about half an hour drive from the Melbourne City Centre.

I have not been able to find out on what basis the Court has been named and as to whether it has an Indian connection but I am almost certain there should be a nexus, one way or the other. I haven't extended my research in detail outside the State of Victoria though I believe the name 'Goa' wouldn't be many and I wouldn't be surprised if there aren't any apart from the one pictured below.

Australian retired cricket great Shane Warne, the captain and coach of the IPL Champions Rajasthan Royals team that finished on the top of the table with 22 points from 14 matches - a team that was written off as underdogs prior to the start of the highly-acclaimed tournament … transforming it eventually to become the inaugural IPL T20 Champions … a person who used to hate Indian food … is now making efforts to learn the national language. In the middle of the IPL tournament break, he had the opportunity to spend his holidays in Goa. Being a rich man by Australian standards, he has many properties all over Victoria including in the plush water-side suburb of Brighton. By his annual IPL earnings, down the road he may purchase some other property and with his new-found love for India may name some landmarks as Jaipur Street and Goa Avenue. It is a distinct possibility and this is the way some of the landmark naming goes. Well! That story is for someone else to write one day.

Indian sounding names

An outine research as to the Indian sounding names unearthed names like Ashok, Aurora, Babu, Bala, Indra, Kismet, Leila, Nirvana, Nita, Prasad, Raj, Raja, Rajani, Rama, Ramu, Rani, Shadi, Shakti, Shalimar, Singh, Tara, Thackeray, Tara that are named for landmarks in various parts of this vast country. Apart from the ones already mentioned in this piece, there are name matches to the places in India like Agra, Bangalore, Bombay, Calcutta, Kalina, Kalyan, Kashmir, Kurla, Meerut, Simla, Surat, Thana, Thane, Vaheguru etc.

'India Street' in Capalaba in Queensland; 'India Street' in Brahma Lodge in South Australia; 'India Street' in Inglewood in Western Australia, 'India Head Court' in Parkwood in Queensland completes the list. To top it all, there is a 'Yoga Street' in the suburb called The Gap in Queensland.

Some Islamic names like Khan, Noora, Selma, Selman, Zara, Zarah are found. More than a hundred Christian saints' names are listed in the State of Victoria alone that includes the famous St. Kilda Road that runs through the heart of the city of Melbourne.

There are a number of 'Delhi Streets' - in Mitcham and Seymour in Victoria, in West Perth in Western Australia, in Lidcomber in New South Wales and in Adelaide in South Australia. There is a 'Delhi Road' in Macquarie Park and in North Hyde in New South Wales and 'Delhi Avenue' in Hillcrest in South Australia. I leave you with a picture of 'Delhi Court,' that is across the Mooltan Street, adjacent to the Delhi Reserve in the suburb of Travancore, Victoria where the Mangalore Street is located.

Acknowledgement:

The author wishes to thank Mr. Robert Bond (Revenue Services Co-ordinator, Finance Department) of Moonee Valley City Council, Moonee Ponds VIC 3039 and Mr. Gordon Chase, Systems Manager of the popular street directory 'Melway' for their valuable feedback in completing this research. To Neeraj Sharma, my colleague in the Bank, who assisted me in certain areas of this piece, my appreciation for the help rendered.

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